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Horsebowmen
|upkeep_cost = |num_figures = |moves = |melee = |ranged = |defense = |resist = |hits = |abilities = Ranged Attack x8 }} Horsebowmen are a type of Normal Unit. This unit is unique to the Nomad race, and may only be created at a Nomad town, for the Construction Cost of . The town must already contain both a Barracks and a Stables for this to be possible. Horsebowmen are similar to Cavalry in many ways - a light, fast-moving Melee Attack unit. Against weak enemy units (like Bowmen) it will charge in for a swift kill, just like Cavalry. However, Horsebowmen do not possess a First Strike ability, but instead have a Ranged Attack. They use their speed not to charge at enemies, but to get close enough to the enemy to use this Ranged Attack without risking the Horsebowmen themselves. When the enemy is sufficiently weakened, either the Horsebowmen or other friendly units can swoop in for the kill. Horsebowmen require an Upkeep Cost of and to maintain. Failure to pay these costs will result in the unit being disbanded automatically. Unit Properties Physical Description Horsebowmen are a group of men (humans), dressed in pale-green robes and mounted on dark-brown steeds. These horsemen's primary weapon is a sword, but they also carry a short bow which they can use from horseback. Like most Nomads, Horsebowmen are quite mundane, possessing no great or fantastic qualities, but also no glaring disadvantages. Horsebowmen are a , containing when fully healed. Attack Properties Horsebowmen have a formidable Melee Attack, which is dangerous mostly to other Normal Units. However the correct tactical application of Horsebowmen requires the use of their secondary attack - a mediocre Ranged Attack which can be used up to 8 times per battle. Horsebowmen rely on both of these attacks, in unison, to defeat their opponents. Each Horsebowman attacks with . With no additional bonuses, this attack delivers an average damage output of about , giving the unit a good chance of slipping several points of damage past weaker armor. Attack strength quickly grows with , and can eventually become more useful against stronger armor as well. Alternatively, each Horsebowman can attack with . This attack delivers an average damage output of only , and must be used in close proximity to the target to avoid To Hit distance penalties (which would reduce this output further). Still, with attacking in unison, this can cause some serious damage to a lightly-armored target. Note that the Horsebowmen do not possess First Strike like normal Cavalry. Therefore, charging into Melee combat does not minimize risk to the unit. This is why Horsebowmen will likely fire arrows at their target a few times before moving in for hand-to-hand combat. Defense Properties Horsebowmen possess a Defense score of , which is rather weak. They can deflect about from any damage source, on average. This is barely enough to save them from anything but the weakest attackers. On the other hand, each Horsebowman possesses , for a total of in a fully-healthy unit. This helps keep the Horsebowmen in the battle a little longer. Horsebowmen prefer weakening their target with Ranged Attacks first, to reduce retaliation damage when the unit finally charges at its target. For purposes of defending against Curses and other combat maledictions, the Horsebowmen have a very-low Resistance score of - barely enough to protect them from such effects. Other Properties Horsebowmen are faster than most Normal Units, moving at . This is crucial for getting into close proximity with the target to utilize the maximum effectiveness of their Ranged Attack, and to keep their distance from enemy units. Basic Strategy Horsebowmen are similar to Cavalry in many ways, but the lack of a First Strike ability means that they do not readily charge into their targets like Cavalry does. Instead, they will minimize distance to the target, make several Ranged Attacks at it to weaken it, and only then move in to kill the remnants. When a target has been picked, the Horsebowmen use their ample speed to move to within 2 tiles of it. They then use their Ranged Attack as many times as necessary to reduce the number of in the enemy unit to a point where it does not pose a significant danger anymore. Once this is achieved, the Horsebowmen move in to use their strong Melee Attack to wipe out any remaining . To avoid being attacked by the enemy, Horsebowmen can use their speed to retreat and shoot. They can move one tile away from an advancing target, then use their remaining Movement Points to fire at it. This can be repeated again and again, assuming that the target cannot match the Horsebowmen's speed. Alternatively, Horsebowmen can be used to quickly reach and destroy enemy Ranged Attack units in the enemy's rear. Such units often pose little threat to the Horsebowmen in Melee combat, so the Horsebowmen will likely want to charge in at them instead of exchanging Ranged Attacks. These tactics mean that the Horsebowmen are less of a direct assault unit and more of a skirmisher unit. They are less useful against enemy low-tier Fantastic Creatures than Cavalry are, as they are likely to suffer serious damage and cannot easily damage well-armored units with their Ranged Attack. Still, Horsebowmen can easily weaken and/or destroy enemy Normal Units. Ability Overview Ranged Attack x8 * This unit may use a instead of a Melee Attack up to 8 times in each battle. Once the unit's ammo is expended, it must resort to Melee Attacks. Experience Table The following table illustrates how Horsebowmen improve as they gain Experience. Any properties that are not listed here do not improve with Experience in any way. * To achieve this level, either the Warlord Retort or the Crusade spell must be in play. ** To achieve this level, both the Warlord Retort and the Crusade spell must be in play simultaneously. Average Damage Output The table below details the average amount of damage that each in a Horsebowmen unit will deliver with each type of attack, based on . It can be used in comparison to the target's Defense rating to figure out the chance of hurting that target. Acquisition Horsebowmen are unique to the Nomad race, and thus may be produced in any Nomad Town. A town must contain both a Barracks and a Stables to be able to produce Horsebowmen. Should a town lose an existing Barracks or Stables, it can no longer produce Horsebowmen until replacement structures are built. The Construction Cost of this unit is . Horsebowmen may appear for hire as Mercenaries. They may already have some Experience on being hired, and several units may be hired simultaneously. Hiring these units requires a certain cost in that depends on many different factors. Horsebowmen Mercenaries have the same Upkeep Cost as a normally-constructed unit. Category:Units Category:Normal Units Category:Nomads